Carpet Express' Flooring Blog

Question: We have installed Knight-Tile KP107 in our motorhome.  A professional installed it for us, but The trim is a 11/4″ dark brown trim and stands out like a sore thumb.  We were told that there is no matching trim.  What do other customers use as trim.  The rubber trim makes our floor look cheap.  I am very upset with the appearance.  Can you help me with my problem?  I thank you in advance.

Bill
Mahomet, IL

Answer: I am not quite sure of what trim you are speaking of weather it’s a wall trim or a transition piece.

Whatever the case may be there is some manufactors that specialize in trim.   To name a few:  Roppe Rubber, Johnsonite, Burke Rubber Co. You can look these companies up on the internet and maybe they will have what you are looling for.   By the way they have so many colors to choose from you will think they are owned by Crayola. If you need any help to decide what you actually need please feel free to call us and we will be glad to assist you.

Thanks,
Mike Jones
General Manager

Question: A great informative site. I sure wish I had seen it before my install. I laid Bruce’s cabin (tavern) grade. I knew about all the minor imperfections it could have, in fact I even like them. Makes it look a bit more real. What I do not like though is the edging where the planks come together. The lock and fold is not nearly engineered as the 1st quality. Overall, it is nothing like the 1st quality Bruce flooring I have used in the past. Is there any thing I can do to make the seams more level? As they are right now, not all of them, you can catch a toe on it if not careful.

Thanks so much for you valued input,
Jim – Garland, Texas

Answer: Jim,

There are some things that can be prevented during the time of the installation to help level the ends or edges but it would be very difficult for me to give a correct answer without actually looking at the floor.  One way I personally like is rolling the wood with at lest a 75 lb roller when setting it in the adhesive.  This helps give a smooth surface and it will also give a better adhesive transfer or bond.  You will always have what we refer to in wood the business overwood and in the cabin grade quality it will be a little worst.  Still it should be something that you could live with.   One way to test your overwood problem is to take a credit card and set it on the lower side of the wood and match it up to the higher side.  If the height difference is less than the credit card then it should be within the industry standard. One problem with overwood is that in some of the darker colors you can actually see the wood where it is not stained.  In this case you can get a stain marker pen that matches the existing stain and color the edges.

You can purchase the markers at a local Home Depot or Lowe’s.  Be sure to take a piece of your wood to match the proper stain color.

Thank you for your question,

Mike Jones

Question: I am installing a powder room. I plan on ceramic  tile for the floor. Does the tile need to have grout under the toilet, and if so does the grout need to be sealed under the toilet, and if so, how long do I have to wait after grout and/or sealing before I can install the toilet?

Thanks,
Sue

Answer: At the time you’re grouting the tile, it would be just as easy to grout under the toilet. The toilet will be removed at this time, so there won’t be any extra time involved in doing so. As far as sealing the grout under the toilet, it really isn’t necessary, but if your toilet hasn’t been put back at the time you’re sealing the rest of the floor, go ahead and seal it, also. Either way should be fine, whether there’s grout or sealer under the toilet or not. It’s best to install the toilet back after the tile has had time to bond to the floor, which in most cases is approximately 24 to 48 hours. You could even grout the floor after the toilet has been reset, if you wish.

Hope this helps,
Mike Jones

Although we’ve been an authorized Stanley Bostitch retail/repair center for quite some time now, we just recently added the tools to our website. You can view a partial list of the hardwood flooring nailers and staplers we have available here. Remember this is not a complete list at the time being, so if you don’t find what you’re looking for, chances are we still carry it. Give us a call at (800) 922-5582 to be sure.

Question: Should an installer check for moisture before installing Dura Ceramic on a concrete basement floor before installing?

-Jeanette

Answer: Installation issues should be checked out by the installer before any product is installed. Without knowing if the store you purchased from sold the installation with the job, or if you paid the installer directly, I can’t say if the company that sold the product is responsible or not. The installer should have used a moisture meter before installation, I believe, to make sure the product could be installed on the floor.

-Jim Young, Jr.
Carpet Express, Inc.

Question: How do I know how much carpet I need?

-Scott
Dalton, Georgia

Answer: You usually need abut 10% more carpet, and about 5% more pad, than the actual square footage you are covering. However, the following steps are absolutely necessary in order to purchase the correct amount of carpet and pad needed for your job.

First, make a simple drawing of all the areas to be covered. Include, for example, living room, den, halls, master-bedroom, 2nd and 3rd bedrooms, and closets. Then measure each room in feet and inches, and add to sketch. Now you are ready to insert the carpet into the rooms.

Be sure you know the width of your carpet. Also, remember it is usually best for carpet in adjoining rooms to run the same direction. All carpet within the same room must run the same direction.

Installation can be a bit tricky, but if you take your time and actually draw out the carpet to be cut, and place the cuts in the appropriate room, it will make more sense to beginners. Be sure to save the waste from one room to use in another room or closet. Also, try to keep seams out of door ways.

Always remember to check your square footage to be covered against the amount of carpet your installer or dealer says you need. If it’s more than 10-15% extra, this should be a HUGE RED FLAG.

If you have any questions, or need help with your measurements, feel free to contact us at (800) 922-5582. We’ll be glad to help.

Loose Lay vinyl is becoming more popular today because of the ease of installation. It doesn’t require as much floor preparation and eliminates expensive adhesives. The one thing that might make the do-it-yourselfer a little nervous is seams.

When making a seam, there is a few small tricks to help relieve this fear. The first is to make sure to match the pattern up correctly. You can do this by overlapping one sheet over the other at a grout line in the pattern. Make sure you have the pattern repeat correct. Some 9″ patterns may have a 27″ pattern repeat. If you will cut the top sheet just a hair shorter on both ends, then you can see to match up the grout line perfectly. (Make sure your quarter round will cover these cuts.)

Now you are ready to cut through both pieces at the same time. This is what we call a double cut. (DO NOT cut each edge separately and then try to butt them together. This will not work – it will cause bubbles at the seam.) Use a chisel point utility knife with a new blade to make this cut. Using a metal straight edge, you will want to make this cut in the middle of the grout line, following the edge of your straight edge. Hold your knife straight up-and-down and apply enough pressure to cut through both pieces. If you have to move your straight edge, do not remove the knife from the cut. Simply slide the straight edge down and let the knife be the start of the alignment to continue the cut.

After you have completed the cut, fold back the top layer, and then the bottom layer, gently. (Please make sure that you don’t move them when folding back.) Apply to the floor a clear, double faced tape, recommended by the manufacturer. Now fold back the bottom layer, always starting at the middle of the seam area and working your way back to the ends. Do the same with the other side, making sure to just let the vinyl fall into place. Do not push toward or away from the seam – the vinyl should line up naturally. Apply a small amount of pressure to the seam to stick the vinyl to the tape underneath.

All manufacturers have a recommended seam sealer that needs to be applied at the seam. Apply this seam sealer to the cut area, making sure to use just enough sealer to cover both edges of the cut. Don’t over-apply the sealer, letting it overflow onto the pattern. Let the sealer dry properly. This should make a beautiful seam, that will be free from bubbles and last a lifetime.

Although we do not feature any flooring accessories or trim pieces on our website, this does not mean that we don’t carry them. In fact, Carpet Express stocks a wide variety of Hardwood Flooring trim pieces and accessories. We’d like to mention a few here (you can find pictures at the bottom of this post):

• Threshold – For use with sliding glass doors adjacent to a hardwood floor or as a transition between carpet or ceramic tile. Fasten down with adhesive and/or nails.
• Quarter Round – Covers the space between the wall and hardwood flooring. Must be pre-drilled and nailed to the vertical surface, not to the floor
• T-Molding – For use as a threshold where two floors of similar thickness join. Fasten down with adhesive and/or nails.
• Stair Nosing – Add a professional look to steps and stairways. Fasten down with adhesive and nails.
• Reducer Strip – Use it at thresholds to connect a hardwood floor to vinyl or low-pile carpet. Fasten down with adhesive and/or nails.

These are just some of the options you have availabe in hardwood flooring trim and accessories. If you have something in mind that we didn’t mention here, ask us about it.

This is another great article taken from DoItYourself.com:

Some people think that a few squeaks in a floor give a home character, to others squeaks are a major pain in the neck. If you agree with the folks who think floors just shouldn’t make any noises, you may be in luck. As long as you have access to the underside of that squeaky floor, you can probably fix your squeak. Unfortunately however, if you have finished ceilings below your squeaky floor, your chances of being able to fix it without taking on a major project are hit and miss.

What causes squeaky floors?

Floors squeak because something is moving. The main culprits are:

• the edges of sheets of subfloor rubbing against each other (because
• loose nails are allowing the boards to move)
• rubbing between tongue and groove wood that has dried a little over time leaving a gap for movement
• floor joists shrinking away from floorboards overtime leaving a small gap that squeaks when you put weight on it. The fix is simple, stop the movement and you will stop the squeak. You stop the movement by nailing or screwing the boards, shimming under the joists or adding bracing between the joists. The challenge is to figure the cause and get access to fix it.

To read the entire article, follow this link:
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/silencesqueakyfloor